Sonic Hypothesis
by BearfootTruck
Summary: One day, Sonic & friends get a new science teacher in high school. However, Sonic suspects that the new teacher is up to no good...


**Written for the Kelviniana forum Back to School Challenge**

* * *

It was another busy day in Station Square, and Sonic the Hedgehog was heading to Daniel Griffith High School along with Miles "Tails" Prower & Knuckles the Echidna. Now, why was an eight-year old fox attending high school, you ask? Well, as part of the government's Golden Start Program, young children who had proven themselves to be of exceptional intelligence could choose from a variety of alternative educational options if they wished. Having proven himself, Tails chose to skip a few grades to be with Sonic.

Boring political crap aside, the three heroes ran straight to school, having no need for a bus. Their first class for today was Science. However, the teacher wasn't there, even after the morning announcements concluded.

"Hey, where's the teacher?" said Knuckles.

"He should've been here by now!" said Tails. "What's going on?"

"I say we book this class," said Sonic. "It's the rule: If the teacher doesn't show, then we can go!"

"Sonic, that's not in the rulebook," said Tails. "I even looked through it myself!"

"What, ya never heard of unwritten rules before? Come on, let's go!"

Just as Sonic was about to leave, the teacher showed up. He was a jolly fat man with gray hair, a mustache & beard. He was also wearing sunglasses and carrying some boxes.

"Greetings, children!" said the teacher. "I'm terribly sorry for being late! Now, before I begin this wonderful class, the faculty told me to give you this announcement: Your previous science teacher, Mr. Shelly, has retired, so I'll be your new science teacher. My name is Mr. Tobor, but you can call me…Mr. Tobor! I'm here to make science fun!"

The class was silent.

"Well then…" continued Mr. Tobor, "…before I begin, I would like to see which bright young minds are with us today!"

After taking attendance, Mr. Tobor opened up one of the boxes and began the first lesson. He set a paper maché volcano on the table and poured vinegar into it, causing to it to erupt.

"Now see," said Mr. Tobor, "due to the vibrant colors of the volcano, the vinegar erupts the instant you pour it in! Ta-da! Now, does anyone have any questions?"

Tails raised his hand.

"But what about the baking soda?"

"What about it?"

"Doesn't the acetic acid of the vinegar react with sodium bicarbonate in baking soda, forming carbonic acid, which then breaks down into water & carbon dioxide, thereby causing the volcano to erupt?"

Mr. Tobor was stunned for a moment.

"Why…yes! Yes…of course! Brilliant…most brilliant! What is your name, student?"

"My name is Tails."

"Tails…" Mr. Tobor looked at the attendance sheet. "Sorry, but there's nobody by that name on the list!"

Tails paused briefly.

"Oh…my real name is Miles, but I'd rather be called 'Tails'."

Mr. Tobor looked again.

"Ah…of course! You seem like a bright young man, Tails!"

"Y-yes…I am…" Tails was quite flustered.

* * *

After science class and a few more classes, it was lunch time. Sonic & Tails got hot dogs. Sonic also got a bag of chips & a Coke, while Tails got an apple & milk. Knuckles got a chicken sandwich, some grapes & grape soda.

"I don't know about you guys," said Sonic, "but this new science teacher's givin' me some bad vibes."

"He doesn't seem to know much about science, either," said Tails. "Weren't we already supposed to have learned about paper maché volcanoes?"

"Come on, give him a break!" exclaimed Knuckles. "You're probably just mad because Mr. Shelly retired! Besides, anybody who can make science fun isn't that bad!"

"Maybe not," said Sonic, "but I'm gonna keep my eye on this dude until I know for sure."

The three of them continued eating. When Sonic finished his meal, he went to one of the trash bins. Here, he encountered Shadow the Hedgehog, who intentionally dropped a can of Mountain Dew after disposing of his trash.

"Pick up that can," said Shadow.

Sonic snarked back with "Garbage Day!" Shadow grabbed Sonic by the collar.

"I said, pick up the can," said Shadow.

"Heh-heh…okay, man!" Sonic did as he was told once he was freed.

"Now put it in the trash can," ordered Shadow. Rather than following Shadow's orders, Sonic chucked the can at him. The can hit Shadow in the face and bounced off into the trash can.

"Why, you noncompliant little…"

"Good afternoon, Shadow," said a voice from behind. Shadow turned around. Standing behind him was Principal Silvestri, a bald man with a Roman nose. "You're not having any trouble, are you?"

"None whatsoever," replied Shadow.

"That's good to hear," said Silvestri. "I'd hate to find out that you were a slacker of some sort. I remember a student who once went to this school many years ago. If I remember correctly, his name was Gerald, and he was a slacker. You don't want to end up like Gerald, do you?"

At first, Shadow said nothing. He quietly clenched his fists.

_(How dare he speak of Professor Gerald like that!?)_ thought Shadow. _(The Professor was more of a man than this peon could hope to be! On second thought, this man looks too young to have been his principal…)_

"No…of course not," said Shadow.

"See you later, Shadow," said Silvestri. "Stay out of trouble, OK?"

"Hmph."

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful. Sonic tried to reach Mr. Tobor after the day ended, but he couldn't, so he went home instead. On his way home, he was glomped by Amy Rose.

"Oh Sonic, I waited all day for you!" exclaimed Amy.

"Of course ya did…" said Sonic.

"Aren't you just excited to be with me!?"

"Yeah…sure…"

"Thanks! I'm glad too! Now that we're together, we should go out!"

"Hey, I dig the offer…but I can't go with ya right now. I got a lot of homework tonight, OK?"

Amy seemed a bit dismayed.

"Oh…I understand! Well, maybe some other time, then!"

"Uh, Amy…"

"See you later, Sonic!" Amy ran off. Sonic went back home.

* * *

In next day's science class, Mr. Tobor brought out some lemons & a cheap digital clock. He hooked the clock up to the lemons, activating it.

"As you can see, you can power an electronic device using only lemons!" said Mr. Tobor. "Note the bright yellow color. Because these lemons are as bright as the sun, they have enough energy to power the clock! Ta-da! Any questions?"

Once again, Tails was the only one.

"Mr. Tobor, the clock gets power because the copper & zinc electrodes react to the acidity of the lemon. I don't think color has anything to do with it."

And just like last time, Mr. Tobor was briefly stunned by Tails' correction.

"My my…you are quite the scientist! That is indeed correct!"

"Well…I'm glad to hear it!"

* * *

At lunch, everything was going quite smoothly.

"So Sonic, how's your investigation going?" asked Tails.

"Nowhere," replied Sonic. "I tried to find Mr. Tobor after school yesterday and he wasn't there! It's almost like he disappeared into thin air! Say Knuckster…what's with the lemonade?"

"I got a craving for lemons, OK!?" said Knuckles. "But I gotta say, this new teacher is amazing! I've learned more in two days than I did last year! There's no way I'll get held back again!"

"Yeah…real amazing…" said Sonic.

* * *

After lunch, Sonic was on his way to his next class when he accidentally bumped into Shadow, causing him to drop all his books.

"You insolent little Faker!" Shadow punched Sonic in the face. He failed to notice Mr. Silvestri behind him, however.

"Shadow, that's a week's suspension for you," said Principal Silvestri. "Now get your books and go to class!"

"Yes, sir." _(I am the Ultimate Life Form! He'll be sorry for that!)_

Meanwhile, Sonic gathered up all of Shadow's books and handed them back to him.

"Why, thank you for the help, _Sonic_," said Shadow.

"Sure! See ya later…" Shadow remained silent and glared at Sonic before moving on.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Sonic searched for Mr. Tobor again. He caught a glimpse of him, but because of the crowd of students exiting the building, it was impossible for the Blue Blur to follow him without deliberately knocking others over. Thus, the trail went cold again. Again, Sonic got glomped by Amy on his way home.

"Soooo…have you thought any more about our date?" asked Amy.

"My answer's the same," replied Sonic. "I'm…"

"You'll go out with me!? Ohmigosh, that is GREAT!"

"No, I got homework again."

Amy was quite disheartened.

"…But you can still go out with me tomorrow night, right?"

"Amy, I said…"

"AWESOME! See you tomorrow!" She ran off.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic spent his afternoon running around Station Square. Occasionally, he paused to admire the scenery. He especially enjoyed the Station Square Nature Preserve. Here, he took a nice, big whiff of fresh air.

"Hello, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic turned around and saw a portly man who was 6'6", had graying hair, a beard & big, broad shoulders. He wore a suit & tie.

"What the…how do ya know who I am!?"

"Calm down, Sonic, I'm not here to hurt you! Name's Douglas Carson, founder of the Carson Institute. I'm a big fan of yours!"

Sonic shook hands with Carson.

"Hey, always glad to meet with fans!" After the handshake, Sonic got a pen + paper. "Here, have an autograph!"

"Actually, that's not why I was looking for you," said Carson.

"Heh? So what's up, Mr. Carson?"

"Allow me to explain: The Carson Institute is the largest R&D firm in the Federal Republic of Columbia. Our areas of research include AI, aeronautics, alternative energies, quantum electronics…"

"Look, ditch the lecture and tell me what the deal is!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Very well. Earlier this month, the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400 was stolen from the Institute. This supercomputer is worth an immeasurable sum to us. Sonic, I've heard a lot about what you and your friends have been doing, so I thought that you'd be the right person for the job."

"Hmmm…I don't exactly trust scientists, but if I'm correct, this whole thing probably has somethin' to do with a case I'm on now."

"Really? Please, tell me more!"  
So, Sonic explained how he was suspicious of his new science teacher and that he believed that it was the same man who stole the supercomputer: Dr. Robotnik.

"Dr. Ivo Robotnik?" queried Carson.

"That's the man!" said Sonic. "Sometimes, we call him Eggman."

"Yes, I've heard of him. To be honest, I feel sorry for him. He has such a brilliant mind, and he could've been a great asset to the Institute. Still, I'm proud that you and your friends are out there defending the world from him!"  
"No problemo, Mr. Carson!"

"Please, call me Douglas!"

"Sure thing, Doug! Since you're against Robuttnik, I'll be happy to find your computer!"

"Excellent!" The two of them shook hands. "There's a generous reward for you if you finish the job!"

While Sonic & Carson were talking, Rouge the Bat was hanging from a tree, eavesdropping on their conversation from a distance.

"Ahhhhhh…" said Rouge.

Meanwhile, the conversation was almost finished.

"Hey, you got a phone number I can catch you at?" asked Sonic.

"Yes, I do. Show me your phone, please…" Sonic did so. Carson held his phone up to Sonic's and exchanged numbers wirelessly.

"All right! Smell ya later!" said Sonic. "Oh, just one more thing…"

"Yes?" said Carson.

"Tell the suits that they're gonna have to do a better job if they wanna fool me!" Sonic gestured to a black 1978 Plymouth Fury parked to the side of a nearby road, and some passing joggers. Carson said nothing. He just bid adieu to Sonic before parting ways.

* * *

Sonic met up with Tails & Knuckles at Charlie in the Box, a local burger joint.

"See, here's what it is," said Sonic. "I think I know who our science teacher really is."

"Who?" asked Tails & Knuckles.

"Well…let's just say he's a real Egghead."

Immediately, the two understood what he meant.

"But…it can't be!" said Tails.

"Yeah, do you really think we're that gullible?" said Knuckles.

"Hey, I'm not sayin' it is him," said Sonic, "but if it is…well, that's not even the half of it. Earlier today, I met some guy named Doug, and he told me that someone had stolen his Quarter Trans-Computer machine…thing…"

"Sonic…are you referring to the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400?" asked Tails.

"Yep, that's the one!"

"…Are you saying that you met Douglas Carson of the Carson Institute!? Sonic, that's so awesome!"

"Wait…who?" said Knuckles.

"Douglas Carson is the founder of the Carson Institute," said Tails, "the largest research & development firm in this country. I'm a big fan of his work, especially the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400. With an array of advanced microprocessors, it can perform advanced, life-like simulations of natural phenomena, solve millions of equations simultaneously at…"

Knuckles pounded his fists on the table.

"SHUT UP!"

Almost everyone in the restaurant paused and looked at Knuckles. A second or two later, they went back to what they were doing.

"So it's fast," said Knuckles. "Why do we care?"

"Hey, if we find this computer, there's a huge reward in it for us!" replied Sonic. "I'll even split it with you guys!"

"Thanks, Sonic!" said Tails.

"You're welcome! Now, here's what we do: Knuckles, get in touch with the Chaotix and see if they can find anything on Mr. Tobor. If Vector asks for any money, tell him I'll pay him back ASAP! Tails, you figure out a way to get that gizmo back to Doug. As for me…"

* * *

The next day at school was pretty normal. Mr. Tobor demonstrated how to turn a candy bar into a paper airplane. After classes concluded, Sonic actually got a chance to follow Mr. Tobor. However, Sonic had to be careful that nobody saw him. Fortunately for Big Blue, nobody did. Unfortunately, when Mr. Tobor rounded a certain corner, Sonic lost him. Ironically, the corner that he went around didn't appear to have any places where one could make a quick getaway.

"Hmmm…"

Sonic pressed his ear to the wall and started gently tapping with his fist. He did the same for the other wall & the floor. He soon encountered a spot on the wall that sounded weak to him.

"All right!" said Sonic. "Let's do it to it!" He performed a Spin Dash and broke through the wall…right into the teacher's lounge. Mr. Tobor was nowhere to be seen.

"Heh heh…oops!"

* * *

Later, at Tails' house…

"Four days' detention!" exclaimed Sonic. "Very good! Very flippin' good!"

"Ugh…I knew that plan wasn't going to work!" said Knuckles.

"What do we do now, Sonic?" asked Tails.

"I dunno, Tails. I'll have to figure somethin' else out. In the meantime, have ya found out anything about Mr. Tobor, Knux?"

"Nothing."

"Bummer…"

* * *

Sonic was quite depressed the next day. Detention felt like it took ages for him. If that wasn't enough, Amy tackled him to the ground on his way back home.

"Sonic, you jerk!"

"What? What'd I do?"

"Oh, don't play stupid with me, Sir Standupsalot! You said you'd go out with me last night!"

"I never said that, Ames!"

"Hmph…of course! It only makes sense that your legs would work faster than your brain! Here's what I think of you, you dim-witted deadbeat!"

"But it wasn't my…" Amy smacked Sonic with her Piko Piko Hammer and ran away.

* * *

After recovering from being knocked senseless, Sonic skulked back home. He didn't feel like running around today. Instead, after finishing his homework, he turned on the TV and channel-surfed for a bit. Eventually, he decided to watch _Emergency!_ Then, while watching the men of Station 51 risk life & limb, he got an idea. Immediately, he called Tails & Knuckles to tell them about it…

* * *

The new plan would take them a day to prepare. Sonic was dismayed because: 1. That meant another day in detention, and more importantly, 2. Whoever stole the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400 would have that much more time to carry out his/her evil plans. Still, considering that nobody had taken over and/or destroyed the world that day, Sonic was grateful for that.

The next day, Sonic spent a little more time at his locker than usual, rearranging some things. Then, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Somewhat surprised, Sonic turned around. He was relieved when he saw that it was only Planar the Gecko, a classmate of his.

"Hey, can I borrow a pencil?" asked Planar.

"Sure, no problem!" Sonic gave him two. "Keep 'em, man! I got billions of these!"

"Gee, thanks!" Planar went to his next class.

At detention, Sonic picked a seat as far from the door & front desk as possible. He withdrew an improvised slingshot made from two pens & a rubber band. However, he kept a close eye on Ward the Wolf, the teacher supervising detention. When nobody was looking, Sonic took a crumpled piece of paper and shot it at the ceiling, jamming it into one of the sprinklers. Next, he took out his cool shades – a pair of Gargoyles – set them on his leg and angled them so that they focused the sunlight on the paper.

"Yeah…that's it, baby!" whispered Sonic.

Slowly, the temperature rose. Then, Ward was getting bothered by the sunlight, so he pulled down a few blinds, but not the ones near Sonic.

"Come on…come on…"

The light was still bothering Ward, so he went to pull down more shades. Suddenly, the paper ignited, setting off the sprinklers & the fire alarm. Just before that, the fog generators in Sonic's, Tails' & Knuckles' lockers went off.

"OK, everyone out!" said Ward. "Stay calm and file out in an orderly fashion!" The students & faculty did so as the "fire" spread throughout the building. A few minutes later, Sonic heard a Q siren, so he slipped away from the crowd while nobody was looking. Then, he pulled out a firefighter's uniform from his disguise kit, put it on, and went outside.

* * *

Outside, he joined Tails & Knuckles, who arrived in an old American LaFrance pumper. The "firemen" grabbed some hoses & breathing apparatus and got to work.

Sonic asked Principal Silvestri, "Hey Mac, where's the fire?"  
"We don't know."

"Everyone get out OK?"

"Almost. We may be missing a student or two."

"Gotcha." Team Sonic put their masks on and entered the school.

* * *

Using Tails' special X-ray scanner, they searched for a secret passage.

"Nice plan, Sonic!" said Tails.  
"Yeah!" said Knuckles. "Vector told me to tell you that you owe him for the rig, though."

"Hey, I'm good for it!" said Sonic.

Soon, they found a secret passage.

"OK, do your thing, Knuckles!" said Sonic.

"Got it." Knuckles punched a hole in the wall, opening the passage. The trio entered and ditched their turnout gear.

* * *

This passage led to a massive underground complex. Team Sonic had to fight a variety of badniks, including SWATbots, Slicers, Flybots and Egg Pawns. There were also plenty of traps, including crushers, laser fences and flamethrowers. However, thanks to the Real Super Power of Teamwork, the trio survived and reached what they'd been looking for: A secret lab. In the center was the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400, which was actually smaller than most supercomputers.

"I knew it!" said Sonic. "Let's close this book!"

"Ahhh…snooPING AS usual, I see!" The team turned around and saw a familiar face…

"Mr. Tobor?" said Tails.

"Wait, that's…" said Sonic.

"CORRECT!" said Dr. Robotnik. "Brilliantly deduced, Sonic! Unfortunately, you're too late! Now that I have the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400, I'm here to make science fun…for me, that is! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! Just look: Thanks to that machine, I will soon be finished with my newest creation: The Super Battery!" He pointed to the partially-finished warship. "You have no chance to survive!" He got into the Eggmobile, now a modified version of the Big Arm. Instead of spikes on top, it now had a cauldron-shaped attachment for shooting Lava Missiles.

"Guys, protect the computer!" shouted Sonic. "I'll deal with Robuttnik!"

"Right!"

The battle was on. Tails & Knuckles fought off some E-2000s. Aside from shooting Lava Missiles at Sonic, Robotnik would also attempt to grab Sonic. Ol' Blue did his best to destroy the machine, but he couldn't seem to scratch it.

"It's no use, Sonic!" said Robotnik. "This machine is made with a special kind of armor! Even you can't break it!"

"We'll see about that!" Then, while dodging Robotnik's attacks, Sonic noticed some unopened glass bottles lying around. He decided to grab one, which was labeled "VINEGAR".

"Bingo!" Just then, Robotnik swooped in and grabbed Sonic, raising him over the missile attachment.

"It's all over for you, you nasty little pincushion! Any last words?"

"Yeah!" Sonic managed to free his arms. "Ta-da, Baldy McNosehair!" He poured some vinegar into the launcher, causing the machine to malfunction and blow up. Both Sonic & the Eggmobile survived, though, and Robotnik flew away through an escape tunnel.

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"

Sonic went over to his teammates, who had successfully protected the supercomputer and disconnected it for transport.

"All right!" exclaimed Sonic, who exchanged high-fives with them. "Great work, guys!"

"Yeah, mission accomplished!" exclaimed Tails.

"No contest!" exclaimed Knuckles.

""All right, now let's get this computer outta here!" said Sonic.

Just then, members of the Station Square PD SWAT team showed up, accompanied by a few Carson Institute commandos and even Carson himself.

"Well done, Sonic!" said Carson. "I see you've recovered the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400 intact!"

"We all did, Doug!" said Sonic.

Tails ran up to Carson.

"Mr. Carson, my name is Tails! I've read so much about you, and I'm one of your biggest fans!"

"Nice to meet you, Tails!" The two shook hands. "You can call me Douglas!"

"Yes sir!"

"Wait a minute…" said Knuckles. "How did these guys get past all the traps?"

"Simple," said Carson. "Our AR-91 assault rifles are equipped with threat detection devices. We also have specialists who are very skilled with disarming traps."

"Hey…that actually is simple! Name's Knuckles, by the way."

"Nice to meet you too, Knuckles!" The two shook hands. Meanwhile, some Institute operatives were preparing to transport the Quantum Transcalculator XP-6400. The SWAT team also found Mr. Shelly, who'd been kidnapped.

"And now, since you guys have done an excellent job, here's your reward!" Carson opened up a briefcase, which contained the blue, yellow and red Chaos Emeralds.

"Groovy!" said Sonic. The three heroes went to collect their reward when Rouge swooped in and took the Emeralds.

"Thank you!" said Rouge. "Buh-bye!"

"HEY! Get back here with those!" shouted Knuckles, who wasted no time in chasing after her. Sonic & Tails looked at each other briefly before deciding to run after Knuckles. Everyone looked on with bemusement. Carson was also a bit delighted, knowing that the world was raising a generation of youths who were bright, active and ready to fight for a good cause, no matter how astronomical it seemed.


End file.
